Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

minutes before adding to the cooked beans and
their cooking liquid. Stir in the cumin and
summer savory, and simmer 20 minutes or until
the vegetables are tender.
Pour about a third of the bean mixture into
a blender and whiz until smooth. Return it to
the rest of the beans and stir in the parsley, salt,
and pepper. Add the smoked paprika. Serve
with more chopped parsley.

Per serving : 344 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 64 g
carbohydrate, 16 g protein, 15 g dietary fiber, 322 mg
sodium. Exchanges: 3½ Starch, 1 Very Lean Meat, 2
Vegetable

STRING WING BEAN SALAD

An extremely low-fat salad with tons of fl avor.
SERVES 4

For the Salad

1 pound green beans or wing beans, tipped,
tailed, and cut in half
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
4 fresh Italian plum tomatoes, such as Roma,
cut lengthwise into eighths
¼ cup roughly chopped stuffed green olives
6 fresh basil leaves, finely sliced (yield 1
tablespoon)
2 green onions, sliced into ¼-inch pieces
(yield ¼ cup)

For the Glaze

¼ teaspoon arrowroot

½ teaspoon water

¼ cup balsamic or red wine vinegar

To prepare the salad, place the beans in a large

vegetable steamer and sprinkle with the salt,

black pepper, and allspice. Cover and steam for

6 minutes.

Combine the tomatoes, olives, basil, and

onions in a large serving bowl and set aside.

Prepare the glaze: Combine the arrowroot

with the water to make a slurry. Pour the vin­

egar into a small saucepan and add the slurry.

Stir over medium heat until clear, glossy, and

slightly thickened.

Add the cooked beans to the tomato mix­

ture in the serving bowl and toss with the warm

vinegar glaze.

Per serving : 49 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 9 g

carbohydrate, 1 g protein, 4 g dietary fi ber, 360 mg

sodium. Exchanges: 2 Vegetables

BEANS • 83